2008 Japan Sport Stacking Championships Wrap-up
Sunday, March 16th was the scene for this year's premier sport stacking event in Japan, the 2008 WSSA Japan Sport Stacking Championships. Over one hundred stackers ranging in age from 5 to 70 joined in the day's competition.

Stackers from as far as Nagoya, Aichi-ken, Osaka and even Hokkaido traveled to Makuhari to enter this tournament sanctioned by the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA). International participants from countries around the globe represented many of Kanto area's international schools in fierce competition stacking against the clock. The winners in each division took home trophies and medals as proof of their stacking excellence. (Complete results here)

Top Stackers
19-year-old Tsuyoshi Seo retained the title of Top Stacker (Individual Overall Winner) for the third straight year with a combined time of 14.05 in the 3-3-3, 3-6-3 and Cycle stacks. By clinching the number one position, he wins a trip to the U.S. to compete in the 2008 WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships to be held April 5-6 in Denver, Colorado.

With judges close at hand and cameras zoomed in to capture each attempt, stackers in all divisions tried to set not only their own personal records, but to break National and World Records in this fast growing sport.

Bringing home the championship trophy in this year's Overall 3-3-3 stack was 8-year-old Keishin Mori. His time of 2.44 seconds in the 3-3-3 was not only an age division National Record*, but also a Division World Record*! Tsuyoshi Seo took second place (2.56 seconds) followed by Akari Seo, seventeen, whose time of 2.63 seconds put her in third place. Keishin Mori displayed more blinding speed in the 3-6-3 stack and secured another first place with 2.96 seconds, squeezing out second place winner Kimi Juds (2.97) by one hundredth of a second! Rounding out 3rd place was 17-year-old Yuta Mizutani who clocked in a nice run of 3.05 seconds to take home the Bronze.

Tsuyoshi Seo battled back with the fastest Cycle stack of the day to win the Gold Trophy in the final round with 8.28 seconds, followed by Kimi Juds (8.63) and third place going to Yuta Mizutani with a time of 9.55 seconds. Tsuyoshi's Cycle time gives him the honor of the National and World Records* in the Collegiate Division. Great stacking everyone!

A new sport stacking event for a tournament held in Japan was the Timed 3-6-3 Relay Competition. Four out of the five members of last year's Team Japan, who traveled to the world championships, beat last year's time to establish a new Japan Record* of 16.53 seconds! Congratulations Team Shani!

Another favorite among both stackers and spectators was the Doubles competition. The father-daughter team of Shani and Pete Juds were honored with the Gold in the Child/Parent division. The team of Naoko Hiki & Sayana Kawazoe beat their previous accomplishment to set a new National Record* in the 12 & under division with a new time of 14.03 seconds! Patrick Snyder & James Moore also broke their own National Record in the Masters division with a winning time of 15.61. Great team work everyone!

New Records Set
Many other Japanese National Records* were set throughout the day, including Soshi Kondo's time of 3.28 seconds in the 3-3-3 Stack in the 5 and under age division,which is not only a Japan Record*, but a World Record* as well! Soshi didn't stop there and in the 3-6-3, smashed the age division National Record and along with it, broke another World Record. Way to go, Soshi! Kenji Hayasaka set new National Records* in the Masters 2 division for all three stacks. Rawaan Akhtar and Kaichi Kondo tied with a time of 3.77 in the 3-6-3 stack to set another Japan Record*! Congratulations everyone!

Special Thanks!
Our sincere thanks to all our volunteers and judges who made this tournament such a great success! Also, a very special thanks to all those family and friends came out to support and encourage your stackers on this fun and exciting day!

Congratulations to ALL Sport Stackers who competed and thank you for making this year's 2008 Championships a fun and exciting day. Start practicing now for the 2009 WSSA Japan Sport Stacking Championships!

*Note: All Japan National and World Records are pending video review and approval by the World Sport Stacking Association International. (Results coming soon.)

(Do you have photos from the Championships you would like to share with us? Do you have a short story from the Championships you would like to share? Please send them to us here!)